Heroes Aren't Meant To Survive
by Myra109
Summary: This is a series of one shots regarding several characters' deaths- both canon and noncanon. The characters will be from several different fandoms. So far Kane Chronicles and Law and Order SVU, AU, character deaths, violence, T to be safe
1. Carter Kane

_These deaths are both canon AND noncanon. I wanted to repeat that before people started saying this character and that character didn't die._

 _Fandoms: Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus and Kane Chronicles_

(AN: THIS TAKES PLACE AFTER SON OF SOBEK; STAFF OF SERAPIS AND CROWN OF PTOLEMY NEVER HAPPENED. PERCY CALLED CARTER TO HELP IN THE BATTLE AGAINST GAEA)

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

 **WARNINGS: character death, violence**

* * *

 **Name: Carter Kane**

 **DOB: June 17th, 1996**

 **DOD: August 1st, 2012**

 **Died defending Percy Jackson against Earthborn**

 **Status: HERO**

* * *

Heroes aren't meant to survive. All godlings knew that. More and more died each day; one may have been your brother or sister; one may have been your friend; one may have been your boy or girlfriend.

Carter Kane was brother, nephew, friend, boyfriend, and mentor. He was so many things, all of which were taken from people. Sadie's brother, stolen. Zia's boyfriend, stolen. Amos's nephew, stolen. Percy's friend, stolen.

The battle was in full swing. Monsters stomped over the ground, which shifted and fluctuated with Gaea's power. Demigods fell to the ground, tripping over corpses and slipping in blood or dying with a sword through their back. Anguished cries filled the air as loved ones were lost to the hate in this world.

Sometime during the battle, Leo defeated Gaea, but there was no time to celebrate or mourn their friend, who had surely died in the explosion. The army was still going strong, despite the loss of their mistress.

Carter Kane battled three dracnea at once. He'd been called by Percy right before the battle began to help; he'd come alone because he didn't want to get Sadie or the initiates involved in the presently unknown mission. Now, though, a small part of him wishes he had.

The dracnea fell, and telekines charged at him, forcing Carter to put his body through even more torture. He was exhausted, and some of his bones were surely broken, and he'd lost quite a lot of blood from numerous injuries. But the monsters wouldn't allow him a break, so he forged on.

The sun was high in the sky, making it around noon or one, when he heard the scream.

"PERCY!"

Annabeth was standing several feet from him, staring at something over his shoulder, her eyes horrified.

Carter turned and saw what she was staring at.

Percy Jackson, his comrade, his friend, his... almost brother (they'd become friends in the few hours before the battle, and in that short span of time, Carter adopted Percy as family), was lying on the blood soaked ground, dazed from a hard hit to the head. Some remaining earthborn loomed over him; one rose a sword.

"NO!" Annabeth wailed, but Carter was already running. He was the closest to Percy on the battlefield, less than the length of a football field away, and Carter had always been a good runner.

He stabbed three Earthborn until only one was left standing with the sword still poised to run his friend through; he didn't even seem to notice that his brothers had been turned to clay.

Carter dove in front of Percy and stabbed the earthborn, but he wasn't quick enough to stop the sword that raced toward him right before the monster became clay.

The sword pierced his chest, right below his heart.

Carter could only stare at the wound, which was narrow, but very deep and oozing several pints of blood a minute.

He fell to the ground, his blood mingling with that of his allies, the other demigods that had died or been injured and been taken to the Healing Field (the beach that was filled with the injured and the dead and the Apollo children trying desperately to save all they could). He had a feeling he wouldn't even make it the Field before he joined his father and mother.

"No!" Percy cried. He was sitting up, but his eyes were slightly glazed over and blood dripped out of a huge wound in his head.

Shaking Carter's arm, he dragged the boy into his lap, bawling his eyes out for the first time in a long time. The demigod that survived Tartarus was crying over the body of a kid he barely knew, and yet, still thought of as a brother.

"Carter," he whispered. "HELP!"

Annabeth came running, gutting any monsters that got close to the pair.

"Come on, Carter, you have to stay awake. "

Carter smiled, weakly. "You know that won't work, Percy. If I'm meant to die, I'll die. Simple as... as that."

"B-But you can't die! What about your friends and that sister you mentioned? What was her name again?"

"Sadie..."

"Yeah, yeah, Sadie needs you. You have to live. For her. If not for me or your friends or yourself, live for Sadie."

"Percy, there's a famous quote. Heroes aren't meant to survive. I know it; you know it. Don't deny that it... that it's true."

Percy didn't know how to respond because truthfully, he _did_ know that it was true. After all, many people he knew had been killed or almost killed just by being a hero.

He didn't know what to do.

"Don't do anything," Carter whispered, as though he'd read his mind. "Everything will be okay."

Percy sniffled. "How do you know that?"

"Because we'll meet again someday. Just not too soon, okay?" (I know that Egypt and Greece had two entirely different Underworlds, but I thought that there's some overlap, so... yeah)

Percy smiled through his tears. "Okay."

"Goodbye, Percy. Take care of Sadie for me. Promise me that."

"I promise."

And then, Carter went still, his eyes wide and staring at the blue sky above their heads, smile still plastered upon his face.

There was a reason Poseidon was called the Earthshaker.

Percy Jackson wailed, years of pent up grief and hurt and guilt exploding out of him. The earth shook beneath his feet, quaking so hard, allies and enemies alike fell to the ground.

Demigods glanced around fearfully, terrified that Leo's sacrifice had been for nothing, that Gaea had not drifted back to sleep with the explosion.

But it wasn't the earth goddess. It was a grieving Percy Jackson that had finally been pushed too far.

"Annabeth," he growled, not even looking at her. "Stay with Carter's body. Kill any monster that comes near it."

She nodded, slightly afraid of her boyfriend.

The son of the sea god marched through the battlefield, stabbing every monster that was too stupid to stand their ground instead of turning tail and running when Percy came near them.

Demigods, sensing the danger they were in if they stayed where they were, raced to the edges of the battlefield.

It was a good thing, too.

The plumbing in any surviving buildings exploded. Long Island Sound rose high above the Healing Field. Any conscious demigods there stared in amazement.

The water crashed onto the battlefield, wiping out every single enemy. Some were killed by the force of the waves crashing against them; others drowned in the waters.

And just like that, it was gone. The water from the Sound flowed back to its original resting place, and Percy Jackson raised his sword high, gazing at the allies, who were completely unharmed.

He gazed at Carter's body, and eyes followed his gaze.

They didn't know Carter well, nor did they know just how close Carter and Percy had been, but they knew Percy was dangerously loyal.

"CARTER KANE!" He called, fighting back the tears that sprang to his eyes. "HERO OF OLYMPUS!"

The allies raised their swords as well and repeated the cry.

Percy stared at Carter.

"You will be remembered, Carter Kane," he whispered.

* * *

The funeral was a few days later.

It was a private funeral at a cemetery an equal distance from Camp Half Blood and Brooklyn House. Anubis/Walt and Nico were responsible for keeping mortals away from the graveyard that day, and they had some Underworld minions dig the grave.

Amos bought the casket, and Sadie used magic to create a burial shroud.

Several were giving speeches. Annabeth, Sadie, Amos, and Zia had already give theirs. It was Percy's turn.

"Some of Carter's last words to me were 'Heroes aren't meant to survive'. But he was wrong," Percy said. "Carter deserved a happy ending and so much more. I'm hell bent on living long enough to ensure that Carter is remembered. I will live long enough to tell stories of Carter and so many other heroes to my children and my grandchildren and possibly even my great grandchildren.

"They deserve that much. They will be remembered because heroes should be able to survive. They're just the unlucky ones that didn't, and since they can't tell their own story, we have to tell it for them."

Percy took out Riptide and turned it from a pen to a sword. He raised it to the heavens.

"Carter Kane!" He shouted. "Hero of Olympus and Egypt!"

They echoed the call, and Sadie used her wand to set off sparks.

The word HERO was scrawled across the sky.

* * *

 _This was kind of a dramatic chapter, but it didn't turn out bad. At least not in my opinion._

 _Hit the review button._

 _also, I take suggestions. I cannot promise that I have read the book or seen the TV show/movie, but if I have, then I do consider the suggestion and will likely do it. As of now, there isn't a reason for me not to unless I haven't read the book or seen the TV show/movie._

 _When you suggest something, please put it in this format._

 _Book/TV show/movie (specify which of these it is)_

 _Title of the book/TV show/movie_

 _Character you would like to see_

 _Thank you for reading!_


	2. Detective Dominick Sonny Carisi

_This chapter contains a noncanon death._

 _Fandom: Law and Order Special Victims Unit (SVU)_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: CHARACTER DEATH, MINOR VIOLENCE_**

* * *

 **Name: Dominick "Sonny" Carisi**

 **DOB: September 6th, 1988**

 **DOD: November 5th, 2017**

 **Took a bullet for Raphael Barba outside the precinct**

 **Status: HERO**

* * *

Heroes aren't meant to survive. Sergeant Dodds's sudden death made that all too clear. One may be your coworker, your sibling, your parent, your friend... even your crush.

Dominick "Sonny" Carisi was coworker, brother, friend, son, and so much more. He was twenty-nine, a fantastic detective, played it safe for the most part. No one saw his death coming.

"Where's that security detail?" Rollins asked as ADA Raphael Barba headed for the door of the precinct.

"Who needs security detail when you've got me?" Carisi laughed as he shouldered his jacket on and followed Barba.

"Getting a bit too confident," Barba called over his shoulder.

"Come on, Barba," Carisi said as they walked out the door. "I've got your back. You know, I once pulled my two year old sister out of the way of a car."

"Really?"

"Well... a toy car, but that thing would've mowed her right down," Carisi bragged.

"I feel so safe," Barba deadpanned.

"I'm not kidding, Barba. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you," Carisi promised.

Barba was touched by the promise, but he didn't think it was necessary. At that moment, anyway. The threats had stopped a month ago; he didn't understand why everyone was still so concerned. They had a reason to be worried, but promises and 24 hour watch was a little excessive after a month of no threats.

That's what Barba believed. Until he stepped outside, that is.

Carisi had always had a sharp eye, and since he was looking for anything out of the ordinary, he saw the man on the sidewalk watching Barba. The man reached into his jacket.

Instinctively, Sonny shoved Barba behind him just as the man drew a gun from his pocket. The man didn't have time to register Sonny's brave move before the gun went off, and the bullet went into Carisi instead of Barba.

The man knew better than to stick around to take a shot at Barba; he turned tail and ran while Dominick Carisi tumbled into the arms of Raphael Barba.

People screamed and gasped and dialed 911 while Barba slung off his jacket and pressed it against the gun shot wound in Sonny's chest.

The door to the building exploded open, and Fin and Rollins were beside them, Olivia not far behind. They held their guns out, aiming across the yard, but they saw no gunman.

"The coward ran," Raphael spat. "Now, hurry. He's still bleeding. One of you, give me your jacket."

Sirens whirred and screeched, loudly, from nearby as Rollins pressed her own coat against Sonny's chest.

"Sonny," Amanda whispered. "Sonny, can you hear me?"

"'Manda?" Sonny slurred before crying out in pain.

"The ambulance is almost here," Barba assured him. "Hang on your another minute, okay, Sonny?"

"You called me Sonny," Carisi laughed, breathlessly. "Whatever happened to professional?"

"You're bleeding out on the sidewalk. Now is not the time for jokes," Raphael snapped.

Carisi suddenly began coughing just as the ambulance squealed into the parking lot, and Barba watched in horror as blood splattered across Sonny's chin, dripping from his mouth.

Paramedics arrived on the scene, rushing over with a stretcher and a compress at ready.

"The bullet hit his lung," Olivia informed them. "Barba, you can ride."

Barba wasn't sure how she knew what he was going to ask, but maybe she could see the guilt and worry in his eyes. Olivia always had a way with people; it was always like she could see into a person's soul. Maybe she had picked up on Barba's emotions.

Nonetheless, Raphael hopped into the ambulance without another word.

Sonny was beginning to go in and out of consciousness, and the paramedics were trying to drain his lung as quickly as possible.

"I told you I had your back," Sonny muttered. "Or I guess your front in this case."

Barba laughed, although it was tinged with worry. "You did. You kept your promise; I just wished you would've pushed me down instead of stepping in front of me."

"Instinct works in funny ways," Carisi said. "Barba, I'm Jesse's godfather."

Raphael nodded. "I know."

"I need you to look out for her."

Barba's eyes widened. "No, Sonny, you are going to watch out for her. You are going to be here to see her grow up."

"We both know that's not true," Carisi whispered. "Make sure you tell her stories about me, tell her that I loved her very much. Have someone-you or Liv or... someone- check up on my sisters and neice, too. Let everyone at the precinct know that these past years at SVU have been the best years of my life. Can you do all that?"

Raphael nodded. "But I won't have to because you're going to do it all yourself."

Carisi laughed, which quickly turned into a cough.

"I love it when you lie to me. Don't worry, Raphael, we'll see each other again. Just... not too soon, okay?"

Carisi slipped into unconsciousness just as they arrived at the hospital.

* * *

Amanda, Fin, and Raphael stood in the hallway, waiting for Olivia to return from speaking with the doctor.

She appeared in the hallway, her face streaked with tears.

She shook her head.

For the first time in a long time, Raphael Barba cried.

* * *

The funeral was a few days later, and the pallbearers-Fin among them- carried the casket out of the church on their shoulders.

A funeral march played, and Raphael stood beside Olivia. Carisi's family was behind him, and his neice wailed, reaching towards the casket as though she knew her uncle was inside. Amanda stood on his other side, and she was struggling to stiffle her sobs.

Hands rose to foreheads as the crowd gave a salute to the detective.

And tears streamed down Raphael's face.

* * *

"Remember the pizza he ate when he started at the precinct?" Fin laughed, Rollins joining him, as they sipped from their beers.

Almost every cop and member of law enforcement in the city was gathered in the cop bar, along with Sonny's family.

"Sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese," Amanda remembered, fondly. "Such a unique guy."

"Got that right," Olivia laughed.

"Such a good brother, friend," Amanda said. "How are his parents holding up?"

"Not good, but they're nothing compared to his sisters," Olivia said, pointing to a sobbing Bella struggling to comfort her howling daughter.

"And his neice," Barba murmured. "It's like she knows he's gone."

Barba sipped from his class.

"That bullet was meant for me," he mumbled.

"You can't blame yourself Barba," Olivia said.

Raphael didn't respond.

"You know what my therapist said to me when Dodds died?" Olivia said, abruptly.

Raphael turned in curiosity.

"It was his time. Not yours," Olivia said. "Blaming yourself will not bring him back. In fact, when you join him somewhere far down the line, he'll probably be very angry at you for blaming yourself."

Raphael laughed. "Yeah. Hey, guys, he wanted me to tell you something."

Fin, Amanda, and Liv perked up.

"He said these past years at SVU have been the best years of his life."

Fin smiled. "Well, I'm touched by that. Might as well repay the favor," he added as he raised his glass.

"Everyone!" He called. "I'd like to make a toast! To the kindest-"

"Most loyal-" Amanda added.

"Most hard working," Olivia said, raising her own glass.

"And the bravest man," Raphael picked up, "I have ever met."

"To Carisi!" The detectives and the ADA cried.

"To Carisi!" The rest of the cops shouted.

Raphael blinked, staring at the life size photograph of Carisi in the corner.

"Til we meet again, Sonny," he whispered, raising his glass to the picture before taking a sip.

 _"Don't worry, Raphael, we'll see each other again. Just... not too soon, okay?"_

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. I love Barba/Carisi friendship and romance, so I wrote this. It can be taken as a friendship or a romance, whatever floats your boat._

 _Thanks for reading!_


	3. Leo Valdez

_This was a request from Guest._

 _FANDOM: HEROES OF OLYMPUS_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: CHARACTER DEATH_**

* * *

 **Name: Leonidas "Leo" Valdez**  
 **DOB: July 7th, 1996**  
 **DOD: August 1st, 2012**  
 **Died defeating Gaea and saving the world**  
 **Status: HERO**

* * *

Heroes aren't meant to survive. Demigods know that better than anyone. Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Michael Yew, Luke Castellon; I can go on and on.

Brothers, sisters, girlfriends, boyfriends, sons, daughters, friends... heroes could fall into at least one category. Maybe this hero was your older brother, the person you looked up to. Maybe he was the son you neglected because of your father's stupid law and before you knew it, he was dead. Maybe he was was your best friend; maybe he saved your life, and you never properly thanked him.

Heroes don't become heroes for the attention (usually, anyway). Centuries from now, the acts of Hercules, Martin Luther King Jr., and every demigod, godling, and mortal that died a hero will be forgotten. As Mother Teresa once said, "the good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway."

Leo Valdez was brother, son, friend, but above all, he was a hero.

Leo held on tight to the mast as the Argo II hurdled through the air, his friends safely off of it.

Leo scrambled to remove the remote from his pocket as the ground approached, and he slammed his finger on the button, feeling the ground disappear beneath his feet. It was soon replaced by the warmth of heated metal beneath him, and he grappled for the reins.

"Let's go, buddy," he whispered to Festus. "One last hurrah."

Festus whimpered, sadly; he knew Leo's plan, but he knew better than to even try to talk his owner out of it.

Festus flew through the sky, dancing in the smoke filled air, until he swooped down onto the battle field and grabbed Gaea in his claws.

"Good job, buddy," Leo murmured. "Jason, Pipes, come on! The fight's up here!"

His stunned friends blinked before Jason looped his arms around Piper's waist and the two shot into the sky like a rocket, rushing to catch up with Festus.

Leo lit himself on fire and watched as orange flames washed over his vision. Fire rolled off of his body, consuming his form until he looked and felt like he was made of fire.

After so long, Leo let himself lose control.

Fire exploded from his fingers and Festus's mouth, rolling over Gaea, who was forced into solid form by the heat and the winds.

Jason zoomed towards them.

Gaea turned into loose white sand, but Jason summoned a squadron of venti who churned around her, constraining her in a cocoon of wind.

Gaea blasted Jason with shrapnel and rocks and clumps of dirt while Leo did his best to burn them before they hit his friends.

Together the demigods, Dragon, and whatever the heck Gaea was rose. Festus creaked and groaned with the effort (after all, he hadn't flown in over six months), but he continued to gain altitude.

"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!" Gaea crumbled to sand, only to get blasted by more flames. Her body melted into a lump of glass, shattered, then re-formed again as human. "I AM ETERNAL!"

"Eternally annoying!" Leo yelled, and he urged Festus higher.

Jason and Piper rose with them.

Jason moved in until they were right next to Gaea. The winds encased the goddess, keeping her solid, and Leo waited for Piper to make her move.

"FOOLISH CHILDREN!" Her face contorted with miniature earthquakes and mudslides.

"You are so weary," Piper told the goddess, her voice radiating kindness and sympathy. "Eons of pain and disappointment weigh on you."

"SILENCE!"

The force of Gaia's anger was so great that Jason momentarily lost control of the wind. He would've dropped into free fall, but Festus caught him and Piper in his other huge claw.

Amazingly, Piper kept her focus. "Millennia of sorrow," she told Gaea. "Your husband Ouranos was abusive. Your grandchildren, the gods, overthrew your beloved children, the Titans. Your other children, the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones, were thrown into Tartarus. You are so tired of heartache."

"LIES!" Gaea crumbled into a tornado of soil and grass, but her essence seemed to churn more sluggishly.

"What you want," Piper continued, "more than victory, more than revenge … you want rest. You are so weary, so incomprehensibly tired of the ungrateful mortals and immortals."

"I – YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME – YOU CANNOT –"

"You want one thing," Piper said soothingly, her voice resonating through Leo's bones. "One word. You want permission to close your eyes and forget your troubles. You – want – SLEEP."

Gaia solidified into human form. Her head lolled, her eyes closed, and she went limp in Festus's claw.

Rest, Leo thought. That was something he wanted, too. He stared at his burning hands and prepared to rest. Forever.

"Leo!" Piper gasped for breath. "We only have a few seconds. My charmspeak won't –"

"I know!" Leo yelled. "I can't contain the fire much longer. I'll vaporize her. Don't worry. But you guys need to leave."

"No!" Jason said. "We're not leaving you!"

"Hey." Leo grinned. "I told you I had a plan and this is it. And by the way – I love you guys."

Festus's claw opened, and Jason and Piper fell.

Leo sighed as he stared at Gaea, limp in his friend's claw.

"This is for my mother," he whispered.

And then, his flames intensified, and the last thing Leo heard was a very girly scream (which was not his own) before the world exploded in a fiery ball of light.

* * *

The funeral was a few days later, and Piper stared at the red burial shroud going up in smoke.

"He's happy now," Jason whispered. "There's no way he didn't get Elysium."

Piper nodded. "He's with his mother, but that doesn't make me miss him any less."

"Me neither," Jason replied.

Jason wrapped an arm around Piper, and the two watched the burial shroud shrivel and turn to ashes.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Elysium, Leo Valdez wrapped his arms around his mother, who vowed to never let her son go again.

* * *

 _Not my best chapter, but I wasn't exactly sure how to write this one because Leo had accepted his death by this point since he'd been planning it since-what?- half way through Blood of Olympus._

 _By the way, what is Gaea? I mean, it goes Gaea, Titans, gods and goddesses, so what does that make Gaea? A primordial? That's why I said whatever the heck Gaea was._

 _Thanks for reading._


	4. Nico Di Angelo

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize._**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Nico Di Angelo: Nico dies while on a quest with Will. He uses all of his power and energy to save Will, and it wound up meaning his death.**

* * *

It was supposed to be a simple quest. Shadow travel to Maine, take care of the gathering of ghosts that had escaped through the Doors of Death, return them to the Underworld, and come back to camp before anyone had even noticed he was gone.

But someone just had to catch him after he escaped the maximum security that manifested itself in Will Solace, his over protective doctor that refused to let him use his powers or train after his 'fading' incident. Nico could see why Hazel or Jason or even Percy would be reluctant to allow him to so much as shadow travel one foot away, but Will? Sure, he was Nico's doctor, but they'd never exactly been friends, so why was he being so protective all of a sudden?

Anyway, Nico had snuck out of the Infirmary and arrived at his cabin, which was dark enough for him to shadow travel and where it was unlikely anyone would find him before he left. After all, it was dinner time, and everyone was at the Pavilion, including Will. Even Will had to eat sometime.

Nico closed the door behind him and called on the shadows, watching as they reached out of the corner towards him, and he felt the cold rush and the familiar tug of shadow travel, but before he could step fully into the shadows, he was yanked back by his shirt.

"Oh, no, you don't," a voice chuckled, and Nico turned, scowling when he realized that Will had the nerve to laugh as Nico was held captive in his grip. "Nico, I thought I told you. No-"

"Shadow traveling," Nico finished. "You did tell me. Many times. But Will, it's been two weeks since the fading incident. I think I'm okay to shadow travel there and back."

"And there is…" Will trailed off, implying that Nico should supply him with the end of that sentence.

Nico sighed. "Maine. Some ghosts have escaped through the Doors of Death and there's some kind of gathering of ghosts there. My dad needs me to drag the ghosts back to the Underworld before they wreck too much havoc in the mortal world. It's simple. I shadow travel there, return them to my father, shadow travel back to camp, and sleep for a week."

"Nico, can't your dad have Thanatos or Alecto or anyone else do that?" Will asked. "We don't need you melting into shadows or turning into a ghost or whatever happens when you fade entirely."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Everyone's busy. There's so many ghosts to round up, literally everyone that works for my dad is pitching in. He wanted to give me at least two more weeks before I had to do anything, but this gathering of ghosts is too big to ignore, and he has no one else to get the situation under control."

Will pursed his lips. "I see your point, but Nico, it's too risky."

"After I finish this quest, I'll come back and sleep for a week," Nico negotiated.

Will crossed his arms, contemplating.

"And I'll report to the Infirmary so you can examine me or whatever and make sure there's no side effects. I'll even let you stick that popsicle stick down my throat again," Nico told him.

Will chuckled. "You mean the tongue depressor?"

Nico nodded. "Whatever. It still requires you to invade my personal space."

Will nodded. "Okay. You come back to camp right after the quest, let me examine you, and then take at least a week to sleep and rest, which means no powers, no training, nada. And one more condition: I have to come with you."

"What?" Nico demanded.

Will shrugged. "If you start fading, someone needs to be there to make sure you're okay and get you back to camp if needed, where we have the necessary equipment to heal you."

Nico sighed. He didn't like it, but he saw Will's point.

"Deal," Nico stated before awkwardly holding out his hand. "You've never shadow traveled before," he reminded the son of Apollo. "My advice: hold on tight to my arm, and hold on to your stomach even tighter."

Looking a little nervous, Will accepted the hand, and Nico fought down the blush that tried to creep onto his cheeks as the fact that Will Solace was holding his hand finally entered his brain.

Nico and Will stepped into the shadows, and with a rush of cold air and a dizzying tug in their stomachs, they were gone.

The shadows spit them out onto damp grass in a clearing in the middle of the forest, and Nico and Will both landed on their stomachs. After the fading incident, Nico's aim and landings were awful, but they seemed to be in the right place at least, which made Nico very relieved.

"Ow," Will muttered before climbing to his feet, followed by Nico, who brushed off his clothes and began walking as Will stumbled after him, blinking in the stunned stupor that first time shadow traveling caused for most people.

"Do you know what we're looking for?" Will asked.

Nico shrugged. "There are two, maybe three dozen ghosts. They can't exactly sneak around."

Will shrugged in return, as though to say good point, before Nico threw his arm out to stop Will from taking another step. The younger boy motioned Will to remain quiet, as he followed his senses (being a child of Hades meant he could sense ghosts) and crouched behind some bushes, gently pushing the leaves aside to reveal several ghosts occupying the land on the edge of a cliff. There were forty or fifty ghosts in all. More than Nico expected, but still a relatively good amount. It'd be rather simple to return them to the Underworld since it wasn't an overwhelming amount of ghosts.

"What's the plan?" Will asked, quietly.

Nico turned to Will. "Well, it's rather simple. I just-"

And that's when everything went to Hades. And not in the way Nico had planned.

Multiple ghosts leaped out from the trees, and the ghosts they'd been spying on turned. It was as though they'd been expecting the demigods to come, and before Nico knew it, hundreds, if not thousands, of ghosts, materialized out of thin air and closed in on the two teenagers, who immediately found themselves standing back to back, their swords drawn but the fear and shock clear in their eyes.

Without further ado, the battle began, and Nico found himself facing a dozen ghosts, sweeping his sword through their transparent forms and banishing them back to the Underworld, but they were only a dozen ghosts out of a thousand.

Nico was working his still weakened body overtime, but he was barely making a dent in the gathering of ghosts. He'd lost track of Will, and it was only a matter of time before he collapsed from exhaustion, but he had to keep fighting. If he passed out, it would mean the deaths of both himself and Will.

Nico heard the yell over the screams and roars and bellows of a thousand ghosts fighting for their freedom from the Underworld, and he shrugged the shout off at first before he started when he realized that the yell wasn't that of a ghost. It was that of a human. A living human.

Nico spun around and through the fighting, he saw Will Solace lying on the ground with ghosts surrounding him, prepared to take him out. Will's sword, which he'd never been good at using to begin with, lay abandoned many feet away from the demigod.

Will was going to die, and it would be all Nico's fault. If only Nico had told Will to stay behind, or better yet, listened to Will the first time and stayed at camp instead of embarking on what he now realized was a very dangerous and difficult quest.

Nico remembered the long days spent in the Infirmary with Will hovering over him to ensure that Nico stayed in bed. Nico remembered the examinations and medicines and all the scolding and lectures Will had given him. Nico had fought Will every step of the way ("I'm fine, Will. I don't need any more fluids!" "I'm fine, Will. You don't need to help me stand up!" "I'm fine, Will. I don't need to be in the Infirmary for another week! "I'm fine, Will! Get that popsicle stick out of my mouth and get out of my personal space!"), but Will hadn't given up, and looking back, Nico realized that everything Will had done, even forcing him to stay in bed when Nico felt fine, had probably saved Nico's life.

Not to mention the fact that Will (and Jason to an extent) was the only reason he stayed at camp. Will and Nico had become almost friends since the war ended, and having a friend was the only reason Nico hadn't run away from camp.

Will had saved Nico's life in more ways than one. The least Nico could do was save his.

Nico summoned every amount of power he had in his entire being, and a scream was torn from his throat, a scream that turned Will's head and stopped every ghosts in its tracks.

The ghosts were disappearing, one by one. The more stubborn, difficult ghosts had the ground opened up beneath them and were yanked into the Underworld. Nico fell to his knees, continuing to scream as more and more ghosts vanished into thin air. He watched as each ghost screamed in agony and faded away, returning to the Underworld.

Nico could feel himself fading. It wasn't in the same way that Nico had experienced a few weeks ago. His body was still solid, but it felt like his powers were freezing his insides, to the point that he could feel himself dying. Every thought was fading away. Every organ and bodily function was fading until it stopped working entirely. The function of his heart was fading, and there was more and more time between each beat until his heart was barely beating anymore.

But hadn't it stopped beating a long time ago?

The last ghost vanished, and Nico collapsed onto the grass, curling in on himself. He didn't feel pain anymore. He just felt really tired… and really, really cold.

Nico was rolled onto his back by Will, who knelt over him, tears dripping down his face and splashing against Nico's ghostly white skin.

"No, no, no, no!" Will screamed. "Nico, don't close your eyes!"

Nico vaguely wondered why people always said that when someone was dying. Closing your eyes had nothing to do it. He would die, eyes opened or closed, so what was the point in keeping them open when he was so exhausted?

"Why were you always so worried about me?" Nico murmured.

Will frowned. "What? What do you mean?"

"Hardly anyone is ever worried about me, especially people that don't really know me. So why did you care so much?" Nico whispered.

"Because I'm your friend," Will answered. "And… because I…"

Nico's eyes slipped closed, and he heard Will sob because the other boy was finally starting to reluctantly accept the fact that fourteen year old Nico Di Angelo was dying.

Nico vaguely wondered why Will- or himself for that matter- hadn't seen something like this coming. Almost all demigods die young, so why did Nico expect to be any different? His life was short, just like the lives of so many demigods that had come before him.

Heroes aren't meant to survive, after all.

"I love you. More than you'll ever know," Will cried, and Nico felt his heart give one last beat.

"I love you, too," Nico managed before he felt himself falling.


End file.
